Opposition fears more interference

The opposition has warned the federal government’s review is a “recipe for more intrusive regulation" and proposes a new public interest test for media ownership changes which could be open to political interference.

“Many people welcomed the government’s claim that this exercise would lead to a substantial reduction in industry-specific regulation, but the Convergence Review has done exactly the opposite," opposition communications spokesman
Malcolm Turnbull
said.

The report was released yesterday by Communications Minister
Stephen Conroy,
who is expected to announce the government’s response next month.

The review, led by former IBM managing director
Glen Boreham
, recommends sweeping changes to restrictions on media ownership, an independent communications regulator to replace the Australian Communications and Media Authority and expanded local content rules.

Existing media ownership rules – such as the 75 per cent audience reach rule and those restricting the number of newspapers and radio or television operators in a given market – should be abolished and replaced by a minimum number of owners rule and a public interest test, the report finds.

But Mr Turnbull cautioned that this could open the system to political interference.

“On media ownership the Convergence Review urges the scrapping of well established black letter law in favour of an amorphous ‘public interest test’ which would in effect mean the politicisation of decisions involving changes of control," he said.

“How many Australians would trust Julia Gillard to determine whether a media merger is in the national interest?" Mr Turnbull queried.